Karen’s Climb, Rosa Gully, Sydney seacliffs
I recall that this was a bit of a sandbag and I bumped it from 13 to 15 in the 1990 seacliff guidebook. I was interested in climbing it and seeing if it could be a seacliff classic, as it goes through some good territory. I went out there with Alex (another Tempe local) on a vile wet day and backed off at the 3m mark, pride in tatters. This time I returned in good conditions with (after re-reading my old route description - “A rambling tale of mank and terror, the first pitch needs a BR or two”) a drill and some carrots. As usual, the ladders and approach were interesting,

The ladder leads to a flat ledge that I had a horrific nightmare about riding a mountain bike on once.
Alex on the ledge

I plonked a bolt an at the 4m mark and did an easy mantel, then another mantel past little wires that felt ok as there was a bolt just below the cute little devils. I wandered up nice climbing up a juggy wall with good cams and hexes, there was supposed to be a 2BB here but I couldn’t even see rust streaks from the bolts I supposedly sank in the early 80s. I headed out left through a bit of choss (and good wires) and belayed on new bolts in the middle of an easy slab and apparently did pitch 2 also, more like 10m than 30m. I’d guess the new pitch was 30m long and about 17 with the new bolts, a pleasant wander.
Alex seconding P1

An easy exposed traverse across a slab followed by a short V chimney then more ledgy stuff, I ended going out right and up a loose flake to avoid the mud and plants after Sydney’s wettest year ever. Pitch 2 was a celebration of choss and doddle, it wanders like a drunk across dirty ledges, but the views are great, maybe 30m and 16.
Alex nearing the top of the botany tour.

I’ll probably add some stainless to it in the future, and do a variant finish to avoid the ledgy second pitch. As it is, take lots of gear, and hexes, and slings. One star.

Hey Stu - I'm up for mid-week epics at the moment, so if you want to go and play, I'm game. Today's little adventure reminded me that choss can be fun too. Drop me a line if you are keen.

A couple of pics to help locate the climb:

Mikl racking up at the base. The climb starts up the diagonal right-leaning flake above Mikl's head, then up onto the slabby wall above the triangular ledge to the right of this pic. (crux - the 2 new bolts makes this a sane prospect, even if the wires at the crux are mostly psychological)

This shot straight up from the base shows most of the route, albeit with heavy foreshortening. The slab in the last pic continutes up in this on the right about 1/2 ay up the pic - up to the left of the big flake to a honeycombed roof, then up & left onto a long 30cm-wide ledge with 3x bash in carrots for belay. (The right of the 3 is dodgy, the other 2 okay). P2 then walks left 8m along the ledge to the obvious V-groove with a battered shrubbery, clearly visible in this shot, although viciously pruned by Mikl and now skulking in its groove. Up, left of the larger tree in the shot above and over death blocks, then back right & up big loose flake, pigeon's nest and a partridge in a pear tree.

In a perhaps similar vein, about 6 years ago I got an email from one rather aggro Catherine Gockley of Colorado, demanding in no uncertain terms that I provide the contact information of the first ascentionist of the climb of the same name at Narrabeen. From what I could make out she'd been trying to get back in touch with him since the mid 80s! I wonder if he ever did find out he's a father?

pitch 3 of Obscurity, that flake is a wee bit thin eh? Was the bolt belay still there?
the first pitch starts at sea level up to the walk around ledge
probably the second ascent 30 years later.
on ya mate

I climbed 'Karen's Climb' in the mid to late 1990's. I was shitting bricks.

My partner gave me all his gear after the climb and never climbed again.

Not even at Summerhill.

I'd like to climb it again.

P.S - Mikl, I have noticed that you have recently climbed a grade 18, at Echo Point, that has a pitch graded 19 and now graded a climb at Rosa Gully, 16, that has a pitch that you graded 17. You originally graded it 13 but then bumped it up to 15.

Generally add about 0.2 x the number of years since Mikl did the first ascent of something to get a fair idea of the real grade. So something recent is probably about right, something from 20 years ago is about 4 grades too low, and anything before that who knows.

Of course, if it was graded 23 then add an extra 5 grades just in case.

Right, thanks for clearing that up Mike. And about Karen's/Obscurity too. I think I found the remains of a carrot somewhere (on the flake?) and bashed in a new stainless one next to it. BTW who put the new old aluminium ladder and sikaflex sculpture on north head? I cant decide which decent is worse now, but it has opened up "Scrabble" etc which I'm thinking of having a look at soon. Any thoughts?

On 24/01/2013 Goldie wrote:>Right, thanks for clearing that up Mike. And about Karen's/Obscurity too.>I think I found the remains of a carrot somewhere (on the flake?) and bashed>in a new stainless one next to it. BTW who put the new old aluminium ladder>and sikaflex sculpture on north head? I cant decide which decent is worse>now, but it has opened up "Scrabble" etc which I'm thinking of having a>look at soon. Any thoughts?>

Have you done tthe fear, bolt ladder (or what's left of it), Honour thy father, and WW3 first? I remember scrabble as being a bit loose> photo by John Stone